For most of us, a day at the spa is a luxurious escape that helps us reset, recharge, and reconnect. Unfortunately, it’s not always feasible to make time for a spa day, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t bring the spa to you by creating small changes in your routine at home. Spas are typically places of healing, detox, therapy, health, wellness, and relaxation. Food & dining options tend to be based on the Spa Food Philosophy, and now with this 1-Reset menu guide, you can create a healing spa-dining experience in the comfort of your own home.

What is Spa Food Philosophy?

Since spas are symbols of vitality, wellness, detox, and health, the food philosophy matches that too. Spa food is clean, unprocessed, and full of high-quality natural ingredients that offer healing benefits to your gut, your cells, your body’s tissues, and your mind. The menus are organic, locally sourced whenever possible, and sustainable though they don’t have to be vegetarian or vegan. They can be grass-fed, pasture-raised, and wild-caught too. This philosophy is in alignment with the yogic principle of Saucha (purity and cleanliness) Spa food isn’t boring or bland but rather aims to reset your palate, especially if you’ve been overdoing it on the processed or hyper-palatable food. It’s based on gut-healing foods that help fight inflammation, feed the good gut bugs and microbes, and strengthen the gut-brain connection.

What is the Gut-Brain connection?

There is a communication superhighway between your gut and your brain via neural pathways. Your gut sends signals up to your brain and vice-versa. This means that whatever is going on in your digestive system will impact your mind, thinking, emotional states, and mood. If your digestion is sluggish or you are experiencing intestinal inflammation it will impact the way you feel and how you perceive the world around you. Studies show that there’s a possible link between gut issues like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) and anxiety and depression. This is why it’s important to eat cleanly, reduce or avoid irritants such as processed foods and sugar, gluten, dairy, and excessive alcohol. This 1-Day spa reset is meant to not only help you improve digestion, reduce inflammation, and reinforce gut function, but it’s also meant to help you feel better and think more clearly.

1-Day Spa Menu Reset

What you’ll notice about this reset is that it contains no processed or pre-cooked food, and no sugars, dairy, or gluten. If possible, all ingredients should be organic.

The night before: Spa Water Jug

Fill up a large (minimum 1.5 L) glass or non-BPA plastic jug with clean, filtered, or alkaline water and infuse it with herbs like mint, basil, or rosemary, cucumbers, or grapefruit, oranges, watermelon, or lemons. Get creative with the combos. You’ll be using this water to stay hydrated throughout the next day. Set a reminder on your phone to drink 1 small glass of Spa water every 2-3 hours until the jug is finished.

Wake up: Elixir of life

Take this elixir first thing on an empty stomach to boost your metabolism, lower inflammation, and reduce food cravings.

Morning: Activated Charcoal Latte

Today you’ll be swapping your usual caffeine fix for this frothy, yummy black latte. The activated coconut charcoal in this recipe is a powerful detoxer that can help rid your body of harmful toxins, heavy metals, and bacteria. Ingredients:

1.5 cups of unsweetened nut milk or creamer (look for kinds that have fewer ingredients and preservatives like Nutpods, Malk, New Barn, or Califia Farms… Or better yet – make your own by tossing in about ¼ cup of hemp seeds, macadamia nuts, or almonds in the blend with 1.5 cups of water and a pinch of salt) 2 capsules or 1 teaspoon activated coconut charcoal Liquid or powdered stevia to taste 1 pinch of sea salt ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract 2 scoops of collagen peptides 1 tablespoon of MCT oil

How-to:

Mid-morning: Spa Smoothie

This smoothie is fresh, smooth, and satisfying and packed with all the nutrients you’ll need to carry you through your morning.

Lunch: Nourish Bowl

Choose 3-4 different veggies to either broil, steam, sautee, or bake in avocado oil or coconut oil. This will become the base of your bowl. You can choose sauteed kale and spinach along with broiled asparagus, mushrooms, or broccolini for example. Season with salt, pepper, and preferably fresh herbs like basil, rosemary, and thyme. Boil or steam 2 eggs to put on top of your base. (If you’re vegan or vegetarian you can substitute for avocado and hemp seeds, or chickpeas.) Top with extra-virgin olive oil and raw tahini sauce (mix 2 tablespoons tahini, 4 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, spice with ground cumin, salt, and pepper and blend together)

Afternoon: Creamy Cucumber Smoothie

This smoothie is satisfying, sweet, and filling all at the same time. It’s full of micronutrient-rich superfoods like spirulina and wheatgrass powders, as well as high-quality fats like hemp seeds and MCT oil.

Dinner: Broiled Wild-caught Sockeye Salmon & Blueberry Salad

Season the salmon with sea salt, pepper, and dill or whatever other spices you prefer. Broil on low in oven for 25 minutes or until fully cooked. Create your own salad bowl with arugula, spinach, or any other leafy greens. Add cucumber, celery, fresh blueberries, and raw pecans. The dressing can be a simple olive oil balsamic vinegar dressing. Optional: a tablespoon of nut milk ricotta like Kite Hill almond ricotta on top If you’re vegetarian or vegan you can try broiled portobello mushrooms instead.

Late evening: Honey-Marigold Tonic

This potent little tonic can help you wind down for the night, soothe your nervous system, and prepare for deep rest. The marigold flowers help support the gut and keep inflammation at bay. Ingredients:

2 cups of water 2 tablespoons dried marigold flowers 2 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers 2 tbsp raw organic honey 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, lightly pounded Juice of ½ lemon

How to: Stir boiling water with flowers, lemon, and rosemary and let it steep for 7 minutes Strain the liquid and place in a large mug Add the honey until it is dissolved